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Sewing For Charities
If you want to sew for charities, make a clear plan first. Have an idea of what sort of items you want to make, and think of some organizations which may need them. Then contact those organizations to see if they do have that need and accept handmade items, and ask about any requirements they may have for the items. Most organizations can only accept items made with new fabric and sewn in a smoke-free environment away from pets, and toys and dolls must have child-safe details, such as embroidered faces. There may also be size restrictions, color/design restrictions (many organizations want items to be appropriate for both girls and boys), only certain fabrics may be allowed, and in some cases items must be made with a provided pattern to ensure consistency. Below are some patterns for common items made for charities, and a list of charities which have been known to accept certain handmade items. =Items to Make for Charities= If you want to make something to donate to a local organization, here are some ideas of things which may be helpful to make. Local hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, homeless shelters, fire departments, ambulance companies, and animal shelters are some places to think about. Be sure to contact them first, to see if they accept handmade donations, which items would be helpful, and any specifications they may have for the items. =Charities That Accept Handmade Donations= Not all charities accept handmade donations, but these are some that do. Be sure to check the website and/or contact someone from the organization before making items to donate, to figure out all the specifications they have for handmade goods and make sure they currently have a need for those items. Baby Clothing * Baby Threads of NH- accepts donated baby clothing and blankets, which are distributed at New Hampshire hospitals to families in need * God's Tiny Angels- accepts handmade baby items and blankets, which are distributed at hospitals to preemie babies in need * Holy Sews- provides burial clothing to families who lost very premature babies, who are too small for ordinary baby clothing. See their website for more information about how to help make these garments Blankets and Quilts * Breast Cancer Quilt Auction- an auction of donated quilts in northern California, from which 100% of proceeds are donated to a breast cancer center in Sacramento * AZ Blankets 4 Kids- accepts donated "cuddle-size" blankets (18"x18"-40"x60"), which are distributed to kids in the area who are seriously ill or traumatized * Baby Threads of NH- accepts donated baby clothing and blankets, which are distributed at New Hampshire hospitals to families in need * Kody's Comfort Quilts- accepts donated quilts (preferably 42"x34") and certain teddy bears, which are given to struggling children. * Binky Patrol- accepts most donated blankets (from smoke-free homes, no religious messages, at least 3/8" seam allowance for durability), which are distributed to children in need * Blankets for Canada- accepts blankets to distribute to Canadian people in need * Bumble Beans Basics- accepts quilt blocks and probably full quilts as well, and the finished quilts are distributed to needy families in the Bronx, New York City * Camo Quilt Project- makes special camo quilts for deployed soldiers, and are willing to teach others how to make them and help this cause * CareWear- accepts donated blankets (4'x 4' preferred) and large triangle shawls which are distributed to hospital patients. Donated items should be soft, not made of animal wool, and made in smoke-free and animal-free environments * The Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Quilt Project- makes quilts composed of heart blocks to represent individuals with congenital heart defects based on requests received from individuals with the disease or their family, to raise awareness. Those who want to help with this project can receive information about blocks that have been requested and help create the quilt blocks * Firehouse Quilts- accepts most quilts and brings them to fire departments, ambulance companies, social services, and other places where they are distributed to people (often children) in need * God's Tiny Angels- accepts handmade baby items and blankets, which are distributed at hospitals to preemie babies in need * HeartStrings Quilt Project- accepts certain quilt blocks (see their guidelines here), which are then assembled into quilts and donated to various causes Caps and Hats * Comfort Kerchief- provide a pattern on their site for making fleece head covers for cancer patients. Donated head covers are distributed to patients in need * Head Huggers- accepts fleece hats and caps designed for chemo patients (some patterns are shared on the website), which are distributed to patients in need Coats Dolls * Dolly Donations- provides a pattern for a simple doll to give to charities. There are links to donation drives for these dolls to give to children affected by various hardships, or the dolls can be donated to other causes *Intermountain Health Care- a Utah-based hospital group, which accepts handmade dolls using their pattern, used to help child patients understand medical procedures. They also accept some teddy bears and blankets- see their website for details *Handmade Doll Adoption- a program by Enchanted Makeovers, which accepts handmade dolls (child-safe, so embroidered or painted faces and no small pieces) Dresses * Dress a Girl Around the World- accepts certain types of donated handmade dresses. Dresses made for this organization should have their label placed on the front. * Little Dresses for Africa- accepts most pillowcase dresses (with elastic, not ribbons), skirts, and reusable menstrual pads to distribute to girls in Africa, as well as shorts to distribute to boys Hygiene Products * Little Dresses for Africa- accepts most pillowcase dresses (with elastic, not ribbons), skirts, and reusable menstrual pads to distribute to girls in Africa, as well as shorts to distribute to boys * Days for Girls- provides instructions to make special reusable menstrual pads, which are distributed to girls in impoverished areas who don't have access to these products, helping them to deal with their periods in a clean and healthy way, and allowing them to attend school every day Miscellaneous Clothing * Capes for Kids- a program of Enchanted Makeovers, which accepts handmade capes in kids sizes (see their website for patterns and specifications), which are distributed to children in shelters to help them feel special, like superheroes Pillows Pillowcases * 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge- * Traveling Pillowcase Project- a project of Enchanted Makeovers, which accepts most handmade standard-size pillowcases. These are distributed to children in shelters, to provide them something constant no matter where or how often they move Shorts and Pants * Little Dresses for Africa- accepts most pillowcase dresses (with elastic, not ribbons), skirts, and reusable menstrual pads to distribute to girls in Africa, as well as shorts to distribute to boys Socks and Shoes Teddy Bears and Other Toys * Kody's Comfort Quilts- accepts donated quilts (preferably 42"x34") and certain teddy bears, which are given to struggling children. * Contagious Hope- accepts handmade soft toys, blankets, hats, baby booties, etc, which are distributed to children in need around the world